Body Filler Legit?

[Zanardi]

I managed to keep my 2019 Ranger absolutely scratch and ding free for over 2 years. Until now. Long story but I ended up catching a low hanging tree branch backing up. The collision smashed the passenger side taillight housing. It also pushed in /creased the very small area of sheet metal immediately above the taillight. It's very focused. The tailgate is free of damage and the side of the box panel escaped completely. It appears the branch came straight in and "speared" that very small area immediately above the top of the tailight housing.

At the body shop the estimator explained they would get behind the sharp ding/crease and pull/hammer it out to as close to the original contour as they could. They would then smooth the surface with a little "Bondo", paint, blend with the rest of the panel, clear coat, etc.

The word "Bondo" took me back to my high school days where we would cake it onto our beater cars and it looked like crap. It was always the poor man's "quick fix" and frowned upon even back then. As I recall it would sometimes pop or flake off the metal surface over time.

My question is does this (body filler) have a use in a modern body shop? I imagine any time sheet metal is repaired vs. replaced the surface won't be perfect and some filler would need to be used? For some reason it just surprised me.

I'm not sure I have too much choice. The same guy said finding new sheet metal panels for the Ranger is next to impossible.

Does all this sound legit of should I shop for a different Body Shop?

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[dmeyer302]

Used properly and in moderation, bondo isn't a bad thing. The fact that they are going to start with pounding it out is a good sign. You could request that they use mostly all-metal filler which is less likely to shrink, crack, and form voids.

 

[Rebel Ranger]

I spent 10 years working as an advisor in a body shop. Body filler is necessary to smooth out the scratches and prepare the metal for paint. A proper repair will only have a thin skim coat of filler once the metal has been reworked to the proper shape. The fact that they took the time to walk you through the repair process is a good sign that you are dealing with a quality body shop.

 

[9zero1790]

i will echo what others have said. body filler is fine if done correctly. nothing wrong with using it to smooth, patch or repair small spots. i worked at a body shop as a teen and body filler was used daily. i think products like bondo get a bad wrap from discussions involving collector cars and high end classics or one off customs where part of the value is depending on the condition of the metal and originality or being "un harmed" with no damage. also a bad label from the folks using it to cover up something that really needs a new piece of metal lol.

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